The beginning of the Maryinsky’s 225th season began in hallmark fashion earlier this week. Per tradition, the Opera had the honors of the first performance, offering up “Life for the Tsar” on September 16th. Diana Vishneva danced in “Romeo and Juliet” the following night, and Alina Somova appeared in the traditional season ballet opener, “Swan Lake”. However, the third ballet in this case was certainly the charm, for it wasn’t until tonight, in arguably the first real draw of the season, that the devoted contingency of St. Petersburg’s strict classical ballet lovers filled the Mariinsky Theatre to witness the queen of classical purity, Uliana Lopatkina, in “Giselle”.

Lopatkina debuted in “Giselle” earlier this year in a genius interpretation tailored to her own strengths. Again in this performance she employed slower tempos, a shift that only strengthened the libretto’s coherence. That one can so visibly see her character’s emotions throughout the ballet is a credit to Lopatkina as an actress. Her Giselle is an innocent, shy and overly careful peasant girl. In the sequences where her heart seemed to weaken, one glance at Albrecht would revive her with the breath of life, and love. In the Second Act it was that same love that stretched the bodiless spectre into a feeling, breathing being trying to protect the man she loved. Down to the details of her tulle skirt, made of what must have been hundreds of layers of fabric so light that the slightest air current would send it blowing around her wispy frame, nothing in the performance was overlooked. Arguments that Lopatkina is cold or that this is not her role were proven otherwise with this evening’s efforts. If well-rehearsed, nothing was calculated and yet her technique, as always, was flawless.

The evening was made more exciting by the debut of Ivan Kozlov, new to the company this season from Eifman Ballet. Kozlov is every tall ballerina’s dream. He stands a full head above Lopatkina’s 5’10” frame, with beautifully sculpted legs and plenty of upper body strength to make partnering seem effortless. If Kozlov’s good looks are not enough – and they should be -- his acting ability in fact draws from the deepest traditions of great dramatic danseurs. In Act I Kozlov’s Albrecht was the quick-thinking spoiled prince out to have some fun. By Act II however, the depths of his remorse were visible in every gesture. Physically he is a perfect match for Lopatkina’s tall, lithe lines. The two make a wonderful onstage pair. The audience’s endless applause at the final curtain (and the lack of early departures from the hall) attested to their respect and approval for one of the finest ballerinas on the world stage today.

The Act I Peasant Pas de Deux was danced by Elena Sheshina and Phillippe Steppe adequately. If the lines in Steppe’s feet left something to be desired, he was clearly chosen for the role based on his ability to execute clear beats. Sheshina is a reliable ballerina but this evening her finishes were slightly bumpy. Ekaterina Kondaurova danced a chilly Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, with razor sharp tour-jetes and fluid port de bras. In her initial bourree forward she skimmed the floor as if gliding on ice, never a wobble or a bounce. Throughout she was the image of a beautifully cold phantom and to date, along with Tereshkina, she’s the strongest Kirov dancer in this role. Her aides, Moyna and Zulma, were danced by Tatiana Tkachenko and Daria Vasnetsova, both also displaying strong footwork and fluid port de bras. Vasnetsova appears to be blossoming into a very mature, strong dancer. Islam Baimuradov held the drama of the First Act together as the headstrong and intelligent Hilarion, so much so that one felt sorry when he succumbed to the wilis’ revenge in Act II. The corps de ballet stunned in the Second Act arabesque crossing, drawing audience applause for their perfect synchronicity.

Mikhail Agrest deserves a medal for maintaining a legato tempo throughout the evening and for his attention to the dancers on stage during the performance. For tourists and locals alike, Lopatkina’s “Giselle” is a chance to witness history in the making and the strongest of the Mariinsky’s classical traditions.

"Silenzio: Diana Vishneva”, an evening featuring the ballerina within the theme of mute movement, juxtaposed a compendium of ballet excerpts against a minimalist, escapist background that left plenty of food for thought. Created by Andrei Moguchi, Alexei Kononov and Konstantin Uchitel, the evening was based on “the motif of silence” described in the program notes:

“The heroine encounters undefined obstacles of external and internal character. The tragedy of the artist is connected to the fact that she is either not understood or misunderstood.

It seems to me that Diana Vishneva is similar to [other] artists in the process of an eternal search... and with the rare ability to deeply feel life’s beauty and transience. The resolution of the performance – external minimalism in the sets with wide use of unique spectrum of new multimedia technolog-- allows us to create constantly changing images.”

That constantly changing imagery launched the intermission-less evening that clocked in at an hour and twenty minutes, not counting the ten minute ovation. The dancing took place in a strange setting: a raised rectangular platform surrounded by large white boxes piled sky high, dotted with single black boots placed in haphazard fashion. Projected onto the uneven white box backdrop were various childlike sketches – a teddy bear, some scribbles – in the manner of live computer drawings, as well as photographic images, such as a doll. The “room” created onstage was a cross between a little girl’s large play area, and a prison. The vertical box in front of which Vishneva sat as the audience filtered in displayed hands of a clock speeding through the hours. A recorded sound track played in the intervals when orchestral music wasn’t used, often emitting the sounds of a music box, or an eery, haunted house type hum.

After an initial walk around the stage shoving boxes aside, Vishneva removed her grey pinafore dress and black boots to reveal a red unitard, and Forsythe’s “StepText” began in the altered space. The abstract, almost angry aura of the piece along with its minimalist costumes provided ample room for Vishneva to display her flexibility wares. She was accompanied in stellar fashion by Igor Kolb, Maxim Khrebtov and Mikhail Lobukhin, attentive partners all. Vishneva’s toned physique was visible in the minimalist costume and showed her musculature to advantage.

Following “StepText” the music box theme returned, as it would intermittently throughout the program. The combination of sound, props and lighting portrayed the image of a little girl growing up in a world bigger than herself and struggling for expression. At one point Vishneva fell to the floor repeatedly, as if exhausted but willed to continue dancing; at other points her tantrums resulted in more boxes tumbling.

Scene and costume changes were facilitated by interludes danced by the corps de ballet. Thirty two corps de ballet members from the Mariinsky entered in Anna Pavlova-era tutus performing the Shades entrance from “La Bayadere”. As they did so, the computer-projected scribbling continued on them in pinks, blues and greens, distracting considerably from the effect typically achieved by this stunning entrance.

Then a circular section of the stage began to rotate, taking the “Shades” dancers in center stage on top of it. Vishneva, back in her pinafore, walked through the dancing girls on the moving disk, head hung with sadness.

Still in the red unitard, Vishneva attached a long romantic tutu on top, and the same three partners from “StepText” took turns partnering her for several interludes from Act II of “Giselle”. Her emotion shifted from abstract annoyance to liquid sorrow in this section. An interlude followed in which 16 Vaganova students in carbon copy miniature grey pinafore dresses performed the Little Swans from “Swan Lake”, the music cutting to silence every several counts.

Whenever she was onstage, Vishneva’s rapidly changing emotions were another key theme. In “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux”, she offered brilliant petite allegro attack, a constantly sparkling smile and much bravura. Andrian Fadeev’s own virtuosity in this section seemed diminished by his dull, all-black costume, but his technique easily matched Vishneva’s for its flair. The mood of the piece was light, energizing and happy. But only seconds after the final note, Vishneva plunged instantly back into a darkened stage, head hung low, walking, dejected or tired. This emotional see-saw continued throughout the evening. The message seemed to be multi-layered, suggesting the silence that a dancer lives within, the muteness required in this visual art, the lifelong dedication and the untiring efforts that take their toll on the artist, part and parcel of the struggle for expression and perfection.

Preceding this number, the 32 Shades reentered the stage as swans, only they continued the Act II Swan Lake sauté arabesque sequence at least six times. The effect after the first repetition (by which time corps de ballet swan #1 would have already done 64 sautes), was a bit trying on some of the audience members who impatiently began applauding with the hopes of curtailing the endlessly jumping swans.

The choice of numbers in this program, as would be expected, accentuated Vishneva’s talents and diminished her weaknesses – that is to say, she did not perform parts of “Swan Lake” but rather “The Dying Swan” as the final piece. Filled with much pathos and emotion, Vishneva’s swan was agonized; one sensed a struggle and pain before she folded on the floor in the final pose.

In all the evening was a strange compilation of classicism against the backdrop of avant-garde minimalism. One wonders if the idea of the artist’s suffering and isolation could not have been developed with further integration of the music box theme. As it was, the myriad of images left plenty of room for personal interpretation. This evening, Vishneva proved once again the range of her dramatic strengths, and her refined technique in specific genres of classical ballet. Judging by the audience response, she still carries a strong following within the Petersburg public and within the range of her talents can present an enjoyable evening.

Thank you, Catherine, for this sensitive and detailed report. I wonder if Vishneva's "Beauty in Motion" tour of the USA in February 2008 will include all or parts of this work? The only difficulty would be in replicating the Kirov's 32 corps ladies.

Edited to answer my own question: I checked the CityCenter website. It appears that the 'Beauty in Motion' tour will indeed include a full corps de ballet but not that of the Kirov; rather, Vishneva will dance with the National Ballet of Ukraine. Also, it looks like the tour will feature "three new one-act ballets" by various choreographers, so it doesn't sound like 'Silenzio' will be presented. Still, one has to admire Vishneva for her willingness to take risks, presenting and starring in new, sophisticated choreography. She is achieving quite a lot in relatively little time.

NataliaN, you make a good point and one that prompted another thought.

I could not help but think, while watching Silenzio, that this comes on the heels of Volochkova's similar "one man band" show, "Anastasia the Bride", which she performed on the Mariinsky stage this July. I tried to obtain tickets to attend and review, but the crowd for that particular show is *not* the Mariinsky crowd. Long story short, I could not attend. But Volochkova was quoted in a newspaper review recently (I think it was in "Pulse") about how "other ballerinas never" dance full length evenings like this -- ie they may dance one ballet, but they never dance nonstop for as many hours as she did in her performance.

Since Vishneva hasn't (to date, aside from her 10 yr Anniversary perf'ce) done anything like this, it almost struck me as either competing with or following the footsteps/idea/theme/trend of Volochkova. On the one hand yes -- hats off to her. On the other hand strange that she's the only Mariinsky principal female to be doing this. You won't see Lopatkina for instance holding a performance where the focus is herself. So, just an observation.

The St. Petersburg Times did not reply to my two article submissions featuring Alexei Miroshnichenko's first full evening of his own works at the theatre, which occurred last night, Oct. 19.

THis is unfortunate, because I believe the event is a milestone for the theatre, as it has been years since the Mariinsky-Vaganova structure has produced and retained its own choreographer. Unfortunately too, I am travelling on business and wasn't able to see the performance (although I've seen and reviewed here each of the separate works that compiled the evening's playbill). So just a note to mark the occasion, and say I hope the performance was accepted warmly by the often skeptical Petersburg audience, and that Miroshnichenko will have many more such evenings in the future!

Although this did not involve any Kirov dancers per se, it did take place inside the MT, so I'm placing it here.

“Kings of the Dance”
Mariinsky Theatre
St. Petersburg, Russia
02 November 1007

By Catherine Pawlick

Despite the Mariinsky’s strong heritage, its male roster is in a rather thinned out state following the recent departures of two leading premiere danseurs -- Faruk Ruzimatov to direct the local Maly-Mussorgsky Theatre and Igor Zelensky to direct the Novosibirsk Ballet Theatre. With the ballet’s strengths founded, in recent years, mainly on the female reserves – and this being true for the last decade, at least -- it came as no surprise that a visiting all-male cast sporting four or five of ballet’s top international stars would garner significant attention inside the Mariinsky Theatre. So it was on Friday night when “Kings of the Dance”, which was performed in February 2006 in New York and will next travel to Perm for more performances, opened its two-night run here in Russia’s northern capital. Not only was the house full, but deafening applause signaled an immense appreciation for these visiting artists, and acknowledgement of their unique gifts.

After widespread laughter at the sight of “Sergei Danilian presents” on the screen that then displayed rehearsal clips and short interviews with each dancer, the audience shifted to quiet entrancement as they sampled the talents of these polished dancers. Angel Corella and Ethan Steifel from American Ballet Theatre, Dmitry Gudanov and Nikolai Tsiskaridze from the Bolshoi, and the Royal Ballet’s Johan Kobberg comprised the high caliber cast.

All but Kobberg appeared in the first piece by Christopher Wheeldon, “For 4”, where the choreographer’s complex step sequences created an initial atmosphere of somber respect. Clothed not in the original unitards but in dark pants with sheer black tops, the four dancers followed Wheeldon’s contemporary steps seamlessly. An initial theme – the elbow hooked underneath the knee in a deep plié in second – began the ballet and ended it. Later, as Franz Schubert’s music shifted in tone, so too did the dance, with rolling hands and necks leading to a more playful mood. Here each dancer was given a solo, but the group also danced in duets and cannons, and this is where we were offered short glimpses of greatness. The audience broke into roaring applause at Corella’s split jetés, or a quick display of wild abandon by Steifel, but these interludes were over almost before they’d begun. Despite sincere admiration for Wheeldon’s talents, I salivated for something longer or purely classical – the variation from Don Quixote, for example – as only then would the locals, most of whom have never seen these dancers on stage before, have been able to fully absorb the range of these artists’ talents.

The second ballet detracted from what could have been another opportunity to display specific talents. Fleming Flindt’s “The Lesson” is a dark story of passion inside the ballet studio, where the male ballet teacher’s attraction for his over-enthusiastic teenage female student leads to trouble and finally to her murder. While unique in its angular movement, the piece did little to promote Tsiskaridze’s strengths, aside from giving him yet another character to portray. The Student, danced by Nina Kaptsova from the Bolshoi, was by far the highlight of the piece, her sinewy limbs flexible and smooth but never overdone, her upper body pliant in its expressions of joy.

The final act of the evening featured every dancer but Goudanov in a short ballet of his own choosing. Johan Kobberg appeared in Tim Rushton’s new version of “Afternoon of a Faun”, a movement exploration in and around the three pools of light that flooded the stage. Void of the signature scarf, this piece drew applause for its historical trappings and Kobberg’s agile shifts from animal-like curiosity to intricate undulations.

Angel Corella appeared post soirée in a tuxedo vest, his tie hanging loose from under his collar, hands in his pockets for a jazzy interlude to the tunes of Duke Ellington and Billy Sreyhorn called “We Got It Good”. Corella’s casual American attitude garnered seemingly endless appreciation – the audience went crazy for his lightening speed chainé turns and split jetés en manège. His sheer velocity is unbelievable and his winning smile doesn’t hurt either.

Tsiskaridze danced Roland Petit’s “Carmen Solo” replete with red fan and shiny red jazz pants. The piece was made for this local favorite, both literally and figuratively. He seemed to play off the audience’s enthusiasm, absorbing their energy and warmth. Tsiskaridze seemed the only serious competition for the great welcome given Corella in terms of sheer applause.

Finally, Eithan Steifel danced “Percussion IV” from Bob Fosse’s musical, “Dancing”. His casual foray into modern movement had only short bursts of airborne moves, but each one of them drew more cheers.

As each dancer finished his solo, one had the sense that the audience’s appetite had merely been whetted by this brief extravaganza. These “kings” left Petersburg on a high note; they’ll no doubt find a warm reception here in the future as well.

For those brave souls willing to endure the middle of Russian winter by attending the Mariinsky Festival this March, (March 13-23), a few pieces of news.

In the coming months as part of a separate project, two American choreographers will be among those creating individual works for part of Diana Vishneva's personal tour (stops in Orange County, LA, NY and finally Petersburg during the festival). Tentative plans have been made for this evening to be presented during the Mariinsky festival.

Additionally, Fokine's "Carnival" is being revived (reconstructed?) by Vikarev -- and we expect that may also be performed during the festival just as "Flora" was last year.

Seeing Yulia Bolshakova's name on the playbill for Giselle this afternoon, I wanted to see her have another go at the role. I was surprised then when the small round head of Anastasia Kolegova peeked out from the peasant cottage in the first act. This isn't Kolegova's first go in the role, but she did an excellent job of portraying the soft, shy peasant girl. No rough edges here.

Kolegova's partner, Anton Korsakov, was also not initially listed on the playbill. He has trimmed down considerably and in the coda of his second act variation replaced the brise diagonals with a series of entrechat six (or were they huits?), at least 24 counts' worth. His partnering was smoother than I remember seeing it in the past.

As Hilarion, Ilya Kuznetsov had more wrath and rage than many I've seen. He was truly the rough-and-tumble peasant and one you didn't really feel sorry for.

As Myrtha, newly promoted Katia Kondaurova stole the show with technical perfection and a lyrical beauty that she has polished in the past three seasons. Nadezhda Gonchar danced the first wili variation; Daria Vasnetsova --with restrained control-- danced the second.

As it was a matinee, children comprised the bulk of the rather full house, and so applause appeared in unusual places. Had this been an evening performance, they would have been considerable both for Kolegova's pristine delivery and Korsakov's panache.

A few more comments. I received a last minute impromptu invitation to the gala apparently both created and danced by Ilya Kuznetsov on Saturday (12/8) at the Conservatory. Many Mariinsky folks were strolling the aisles of the theatre, and the rest of them seemed to be onstage. Kuznetsov opened the evening with the solo from "Hooligan", which felt out of context without the wonders of Daria Sukhoroukova's Young Lady onstage to carry the plot along. Next, Nadezhda Gonchar joined Maxim Zuizin in the fast-paced Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Two couples from the Mikhailovsky Theatre (Faruhk watched in the audience) danced, one classical solo and one Spanish/flamenco solo. Islam Baimuradov danced twice in the evening -- once with an unknown female in the pdd from Scheherezade (again out of place and too lengthy for a mixed bill) and again with Elena Sheshina in Ratmansky's "Middle Duet". Sheshina also danced the Diana and Acteon pas de deux. The classical ballerina from the Mikhailovsky (alas, I did not have a program) appeared again at the end of the evening in the grand pas from Le Corsaire (Kuznetsov as Conrad). The absolute highlight of the evening was the grand pas from Raymonda -- Sofia Gumerova took the honors in the leading role, and the top corps members (among them: Nedvega, Pimenov, Khrebtov; Martinouk, Chmil and others) filled out the set of four couples in the background.

Scores of fans walked up onstage at the end to personally hand their bouquest to Ilya and everyone seemed very pleased with the outcome. The strange thing -- that this took place across the street from the Mariinsky but most of the Mariinsky ranks were either in the audience or onstage.

Last night Diana Vishneva danced "Don Quixote" with Denis Matvienko as her Basil. Since the boards seem to have slipped into holiday mode, I'll keep this brief.

Matvienko is energy in human form. I've never seen a Basil who couldn't wait to get onstage. No sooner had Vishneva finished whatever her solo may have been in a given act, then Matvienko was rushing onstage to fill the space. His teasing nature fit the role of Basil perfectly. But it was the Act III pirouettes in degage derriere that really brought applause from the audience. It was as if he could not get enough dancing in!

Vishneva is just his height en pointe -- making them a good physical match. I presume she "found him" at the Bolshoi. What a treat for local audiences to see this bubbling energizer onstage!

Islam Baimuradov drew significant applause as Espada. His partner was Tatiana Serova -- I'm used to seeing either Kondaurova or Rassadina in this role, so this was a change. But Serova did a nice job.

The Dryad was listed as Alina Somova. In fact Tatiana Tkachenko danced the role and delivered the most flawless series of Italian fouettes I have yet to see on this stage. Her utter control is one of her great strengths and she was supremely graceful in this role.

Amour was danced cutely by Elizaveta Cherpasova. Yana Selina and Yulia Kasenkova were Kitri's friends. Soslan Kulaiev was hilarious as the wealthy fop, Gamash. Elena Bazhenova danced the Eastern dance -- a shift from her often Queenly roles, but she proved sultry and sinuous.

In short it was an amazing evening, despite the less than full house. Boris Gruzin conducted.

I have some exciting news, ladies and gentleman. Alexander Sergeev will be debuting in "Giselle" alongside Evgenia Obratsova on April 4. I can not think of a more exciting performance to watch. This will be history in the making and I will report back!

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